Love & Hate, James & Lily
by Bel W. Turner
Summary: A series of one-shots giving insight into James's and Lily's lives at Hogwarts before Harry existed. May continue after Hogwarts years.
1. Badly Behaved Rabbits

23rd September, 1977-6th Year

Lily's POV

'Moony, we need to meet up in the summer to deal with your furry little problem.' James announced to what seemed like the common room at large. Why was he so loud? I looked up once from my dusty book and sighed loudly. It wasn't deliberate! But both James and Remus looked over in interest as I bent my head down in embarrassment.

'Something up, Evans?' James asked me, cocking one eyebrow.

'None of your business, Potter.' I called back. Remus gave me an apologetic smile.

'If I didn't know better I'd say you were listening in!' Potter exclaimed with the excitement of a six-year-old. I snapped my book shut with a bang and gave him my most contemptuous glare.

'Potter, the whole common room could hear what you were saying.'

Fortunately the whole common room had stopped listening to us and was back to its usual bustle. Everyone was very used to Potter and me fighting, so used to it that they never listened anymore. Remus was nudging him hard in the ribs for some reason, and I decided that if I wanted to learn any of this impossible Transfiguration then I was going to have to read upstairs my dormitory. I stood up abruptly and took one last glance at the two boys. Sirius and Peter must have been off on some other adventure.

'I'm sorry for him, Lily.' Remus told me in his much quieter and more pleasant voice. I smiled at him, making sure to not even look at Potter.

'I hope your rabbit starts behaving sometime soon, Remus.' I replied civilly. To my utter surprise Remus began to chuckle while Potter struggled to maintain a serious composure. I must have looked offended because Remus started shaking his head as though to mean, _not you_, as he burst into fits of laughter. Potter was no better. I let out another rush of air through my mouth and turned away, my long red hair swinging behind me as I left for the dormitory. Hopefully my friends were back from Quidditch practice or extra lessons, or wherever they were. But even if they weren't, reading Transfiguration alone on my bed was always better than listening to Potter droning on and on about himself all night long.

**Author's Note: first ever one-shot! Please review and dare me to do stories :) thanks for reading!**


	2. The Red Umbrella

21st December 1975-4th Year

James' POV

I flew between the chimney tops, keeping low along the roofs so that I would not be spotted. It was difficult to see anything in this sort of weather; with all the mist hovering just over the street and the rain sheeting down. The streets were deserted but I knew she was out there. My broom was icing over in the wintry cold and it was difficult to keep my slowly numbing hands gripped around the handle. I swerved around one more corner and stopped immediately in the middle of the wider street. The sky was black and there were clouds everywhere, but I could see her through the mist, lit up by a nearby streetlamp. She had not seen me. She was a lonely, beautiful figure, hunched on the streets of London at midnight, walking home after finishing her part-time job. I flew closer, keeping to the shadows cast by wrought-iron balconies and dark brick doorsteps. A twig on the end of my broom scraped against the side of one of the houses and her head snapped up, her brilliant eyes drawn to the source of the sound. And she saw me, wrapped in my warmest robes, clutching my gift to her.

Lily had no umbrella. She was walking a mile to get home and she only had a thin cotton hood, which was not stopping any of the rain from drenching through to her long red hair. I nervously moved so that I was not two feet above her, shaking on my broomstick like a spider clinging to his silver thread. She knew who I was before I moved towards her. I could tell from the way her eyes changed, but I did not know whether or not this was a good change. The light of the street lamp next to us reflected half-moons in her pupils as she gazed up at me. I spoke first, lifting the bright red umbrella up and holding it there to keep her sheltered from the rain.

'Lily.'

Her lips parted slightly as she regarded me on my broom and the umbrella that was giving me hope in this night, one of the darkest of all nights.

'James.' she said, pronouncing my first name for the very first time. I shivered with delight and descended to her level, lingering in the air so that our faces were level.

'I'll fly you home.' I told her, smiling. For once she did not turn away in disgust that I, James Potter, was talking to her. For the first time she smiled back at me. I decided that maybe I should stay at home for Christmas more often, because home was closer to Lily.

**A/N: 2 done in 2 days! Please please review :)**

**Also if you could think of a better title for me i would be very grateful!**


	3. The First Day of My Last Year

1st September 1978

Dear Diary,

Lily here! Sitting squashed in our tiny car between my trunk and Petunia with my owl on my lap. Gloria is in her cage, of course, otherwise we would have a situation. Sorry if you can't read this writing but the roads are bumpy and we're on our way to Kings Cross for my last year. Usually Tuney doesn't come with us, but I suppose because it's my last year at Hogwarts mum and dad made her put on a nice face and bear my weirdness. She's not got on a nice face at the moment, as we step outside. Oh, I think dad wants me to carry my trunk inside, so I'll write in this once I'm on the platform.

Ah, Platform 9 ¾. Always the same, unlike practically everything else in life. I'm always exceedingly early for the Hogwarts Express because my parents insist on having a good chat with the wizarding world once a year. So here I stand, a bit chilly in the breeze, and my head bent over this notebook while my parents natter on at some poor witch and wizard parents. Tuney definitely doesn't look happy. She's wearing that face when she doesn't want to be somewhere and can't be bothered to hide that fact. Oops, she saw me watching! Now I'm the object of that pursed lipped glare. Here come my friends! Thank Merlin, a distraction…

Shit. Bloody fucking shit.

You…that…

Why?

WHY ME?

I may have forgotten to write about how excited I am about being Head Girl. But not anymore. No, definitely not…Oh, shit!  
My two best friends, Mary Macdonald and Emmeline Vance, ran towards me at such speed that I almost dropped my diary. I hugged them and proceeded to put away said diary so that no one would read my thoughts on the world. They were fine, I was fine, summer was fine and we were all happy that I was Head Girl! (Mary and Em are never the jealous ones, that's why we're such good friends). So we said goodbye to my parents and a sullen (but slightly relieved that I was leaving) Tuney, and then hopped onto the train. I say hopped, but it was more of a struggled climb because of our trunks. Luckily, as Head Girl, I had my own compartment to share with the Head Boy. I didn't yet know who this was, so, as I say, I was in a very good mood as I dragged my trunk up to the front of the train to my new compartment. I slid open the door with difficulty (I was only using one hand!) and I was completely ready to be all like, 'Hey! We're Head Boy and Girl! Check us out!' until I saw who was in there.

James…Potter.

Sitting there with an idiot grin plastered across his face and a quill in front of him on the table. Of course I was suspicious.

'What are you doing in here? Who were you snogging?' I asked disdainfully as I parked my trunk next to the carriage door. With that strenuousness over, I quickly sat down with a sigh and wished my friends could be Head Girls with me. I was an example to the female population of the school and I was so unfit that I could barely carry a trunk 10m! I definitely did not deserve this badge. Anyway, I looked around expectantly, trying to find the girl that Potter was hiding. When he didn't immediately answer I looked back at him. He was holding back a smile! Of course he would treat the whole matter as a joke.

'I'm Head Girl, you know,' I said, wielding my new power. 'I could give you detention for snogging in the Head's compartment.'

He really laughed then.

'I'm Head Boy, you know.' he replied. 'I could give you detention for giving me detention for a false reason.'

I frowned a lot then. I mean, what was going on? Then he pointed to something shiny on his chest and it all made sense.

'No. You…you're not really. Give that badge back to Remus! PLEASE. Just give it to him. You are not Head Boy! No! This is not happening!' I half-muttered, half-screeched at him. He must have found it pretty funny. But I didn't.

So I don't need to tell you what happened next, Diary. I half-murdered James Potter then and there for being given a position of power equal to mine! Oh, SHIT. I just had the worst thought. This business, with us both being Heads… We're going to have to share the Head's dormitory, aren't we?

Bloody fucking shit.

Love,

Lily

**A/N: Please review your thoughts! It means so much! :) **


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